Add another crazy night to my belt

So I hadn't hung out with my friends Bryce and Tracey for awhile. They invited me out Friday night to a place in Greenwich Village called Fat Cat. This place is interesting. It has pool tables, shuffleboard, ping pong tables, chess, $3 PBRs and a live band. Fortunately (or unfortunately) nights out with these two ladies always ends in complete and utter craziness and Friday was no different. All of us started out warning each other that we were in crappy moods and didn't want to have a crazy night. But as the PBRs kept flowing and we vented, we all felt better. I ended up meeting a french guy who I am pretty sure was appropriately named Jacque. I also met a german girl called Alena who I spoke german with and she told me that my pronunciation was pretty good. :) Let's just say I left with Jacque and we will leave it at that.

I also joined a book club and we had our first meeting last week. It went really well. Everyone seems really nice. We are now reading The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. Everyone seems cool and it was nice for a bunch of 20 something people to sit around a bar and have intelligent conversations. Not stuffy or pretentious but still very cool. I also met a german girl there named Irma who offered to meet up with me to practice my german. She offered before I could even ask her!! How awesome is that??? We are meeting this Tuesday at the german restaurant in my 'hood that I have been wanting to go to forever. Things like that would never have happened in KC. Another cool thing about the book club is the point of it is to read classic books while eating good food at great NY restaurants. :)

I am also meeting up with a friend from college tomorrow night for dinner. I found out through facebook that he lives in the Lower East Side with his boyfriend. Super excited to see him and catch up. Haven't spoke to him since junior year of college at least. Plus he recommended a really great sounding asian fusion place.

I have been hanging out with my new friend, Olisa, a lot. She is awesome. She lives in my neighborhood. Randomly, she went to Park University back in KC and she had classes with my sister, Anna. Her and Amiran are friends too. She is from Greece and really easy and fun to hang out with. She also promised to take me to the bars that the foreign dignitaries hang out in. :) Meeting up with Amiran in a couple of minutes to purchase ballet tickets. Can't wait to actually go to the ballet! I get to dress up and everything.

Lisa will be here in exactly a month!! Can't wait. OH yeah for her bday which is this Saturday, my family is all getting together like normal. This will be the first family function that any of us have really missed which makes me a bit sad but i will be fixing tacos with peas (don't ask) on my end as well. I will also be enjoying a cupcake. And they will put me on skype so I can "be there." I am excited about that. Just wish they could pass me a piece of cake through the computer.

OH yeah. Also, on Mav and my's walk this morning, we met these two cute older ladies named Francesca and Cecilia. They loved Mav. They were happy to know we had just moved to the neighborhood and said they hoped to see me around again soon. See New Yorkers aren't that bad.

Love to everyone back home but if this post is any indication, I highly doubt I will live in the midwest again.

-S

Second Set of Visitors and Settling In...

So my parents came up last week and stayed for about 5 days. It was pretty awesome. I couldn't take as much time off of work to spend with them but I think they had a good time. I had fun just hanging out with them. It was a pretty big surprise that my dad could get time off of work to make it up here so I am really grateful. We had all kinds of mishaps and adventures that are normal for our family vacations such as my dad buying souvenirs for everyone, carrying it around all day and then leaving it in the cab. Not sure if it will get recovered or not. Still working on it. Also, on the way up here, my dad accidentally went in the toll lane for the EZ Pass instead of the cash only lane. He managed to get through and is still awaiting the ticket or fine in the mail. Of course we just kind of explored my neighborhood and enjoyed each other company. Didn't do any much different than if we would have all been back in Liberty and of course, Maverick liked having the house full of people to pet him. When they left on Sunday, it was much harder than I thought it would be. I cried and was pretty sad for a good hour or so. I called my friend Steph because she has been out here for like 6 years so I am sure she has been through it and wanted to know if it gets easier. She said it does get easier but you never stop missing them. It feels weird at 28 to miss my parents so much. I didn't even have that hard of time without them in college. Oh well.
So this pay period, I am broke so nothing too exciting. Must stay in and eat the food my mom cooked for me. I know HUGE hardship. ;) Things will be better after the next paycheck. And of course this is when there are mistakes with fandango taking too much money out when I purchased mine and my sister's midnight showing of breaking dawn. Hopefully, the money will be put back in my account by today or tomorrow. It is also helpful that I have plenty of tv shows to catch up on so I am not bored.
Found out a friend from college lives here in the city too. Can't wait to meet up with him and his boyfriend. Haven't seen him since college. Was supposed to meet up with him tomorrow night but I already had made plans with Amiran (my mom's friend's adopted/foreign exchange student). He is going to introduce me to one of his friends who lives in my neighborhood.
Weird to have conflicting plans. Hasn't happened so far in NY. Signs of an actual social life to come?
My sister comes to visit in like a month and half. Can't wait. Going to be exhausted because of all the plans she is making but it will be fun. And less pressure because she knows exactly what she wants to see and do.
Broke down and joined a gym that I can't really afford but I hate the extra weight I have gained since moving here. You would think with walking everywhere that wouldn't happen but the bagels are the devil. I think I need a bagel intervention or aversion program. So hopefully by the time thanksgiving comes around I will be back or close to where I should be.
Steph came up last night and stayed because she goes to school in Manhattan once a week. It was nice to see her. I need to make her a set of keys.
Oh yeah, I joined a book club and our first meeting is next Tuesday night at some restaurant. Supposed to read a short novel before then but I need to finish the book I was already reading. Only about 60 more pages to go but so little time in the day. Maybe I need to start reading it on the subway.
And I had my first subway groping experience yesterday. It was creepy. I was about to turn around and yell at him but I chickened out. Next time...
Two days ago, a guy hit me with his umbrella and I yelled at him but he didn't even turn around.
A couple of possible flirtations in the works but nothing concrete yet and since I am wary of relationships anyway not going to act on anything. Just going to let them happen or not happen. Maybe more next time.
-S
Tip: Don't give crazies the benefit of the doubt of shouting coherent, rational thoughts. If a crazy starts talking in your direction: ignore, keeping walking, look the other way, etc. No matter what. You will just be frustrated when you try to make sense of the nonsense coming out of their mouth.